Mulberry Art Studios, 21 N. Mulberry St., Lancaster, recently held its sixth annual We Love Our Pets show. The exhibit opened on May 3, and it featured more than 170 pieces of artwork by pet owners and artists from every school district in the county to celebrate the unique bond between humans and their animal companions. The show will remain at the gallery until the end of May.

The opening reception was attended by veterinarians and vendors of pet accessories and other animal-related products, as well as representatives of the Sebastian Foundation for Animal Rescue. Every year, Mulberry Art Studios uses its We Love Our Pets show to support the Sebastian Foundation by donating a portion of the proceeds from art sales to the organization. The Sebastian Foundation helps to locate homes for animals throughout Lancaster County, and its representatives were accompanied by several adoptable dogs on opening night. The event raised more than $800 for the foundation. We Love Our Pets' opening night was sponsored by Metro Pet Vet, an animal hospital based in Lancaster city.

Every year, art teachers in school districts such as Conestoga Valley, Warwick, Penn Manor, Solanco and many others partner with Mulberry Art Studios to incorporate the We Love Our Pets show in their curriculum. Students are able to submit artwork made in class for a chance to be featured in the exhibit.

Three artists received awards for pieces entered in the show: the youth People's Choice award was given to Jinx Canfield of Ephrata for the painting "Eloise," Violet van der Meij of Lancaster earned Best in Show in the youth category for her piece "Space Aussie," and Jen van der Meij of Lancaster received the Best in Show and People's Choice awards for her paintings "Colonel Sanders" and "Jessie," respectively.

"I enjoy sculpture and drawing but I didn't have the patience to work with acrylic on canvas when I was younger, so I'm not as experienced with it yet," said 16-year-old Canfield. who used acrylic paint to make "Eloise." "Eloise, the pup, developed some recent health issues limiting her time here with us, so this is going to end up as a sort of memorial and remembrance piece."

Violet, who is Jen's 11-year-old daughter, said she decided to paint an Australian Shepherd as it is her favorite breed. "I enjoy all mediums of art, but I went with watercolor and ink because it was a progression from some of the pieces I submitted last year," Violet added. "I allowed myself to use more imagination this year by putting my Aussie into a space environment."

"I enjoyed watching Violet be more comfortable with exploring this year, and I love how her pieces turned out," Jen said. "She's a talented young lady, and I loved sharing this experience with her."

Jen's paintings incorporated gold leaf, a technique that she had never experimented with before. "Jessie" depicts Jen's childhood pet donkey, and "Colonel Sanders" portrays a cat owned by Jen's close friends. "For 'Jessie,' I wanted my love of donkeys to be represented with an over-the-top background, flooding the entire piece with gold leaf before painting over it with acrylic," Jen said. "For 'Colonel Sanders,' I used gold leaf as a much more subtle accent, but I exaggerated the colors of his fur to add some interest. I made him larger than life to represent how loved he is by his owners."

For more information, visit http://www.mulberryartstudios.com.